Thud
by justanotherFAYZ
Summary: A alternate ending to LIGHT, written before reading the stunning conclusion. How I originally thought Caine and Diana's story would end. Slightly OOC for Caine being less egocentric than usual One use of profane language. All critism welcome. Thank you for reading, enjoy


**Thud. **

**Fandom: **The GONE series.

**Characters: **Caine Soren and Diana Ladris.

**Genre: ** tragedy/family

**Set: ** A alternate ending to LIGHT. Which had a wonderful and perfect ending. But I wrote this before reading LIGHT, which handled the Caine-Diana resolution so much better than here, but I felt it would be a waste to delete it.

**Authors notes: **Due to my uncertainty on the time period in which the FAYZ is set, I'm going to assume it happened when the book was published, in late 2008. A little bit OOC for Diana (who isn't snarky here) and Caine (who isn't being a self-obsessed egomaniac here). Rated T for one use of profane language. PLAGUE and FEAR spoilers. Thank you for reading, please review/comment. Enjoy!

Gaia may only have been a week old, but she was turning 15 that day.

In lieu of presents, Gaia had only requested her parents not make too much trouble for her.

She didn't have much time for this. She had bigger fish to fry.

Now a pubescent, she was gorgeous, just like her mother, with ominous jade eyes and chestnut hair tumbling down to her waist. The though made Diana smile internally, despite herself.

She had driven both her parents into Moses cabin, and now they were trapped.

Trapped to be crushed under the debris and deluge after Gaia had brought the house down.

Every few seconds the structure of the cabin contorted like their thudding pulses.

She was gradually imploding the cabin, bringing it down on itself.

Caine glanced out the window, noting the precision and craftsmanship his daughter had with her telekinesis; "She's good. She's beyond good." _Better than me, _he acknowledged dully.

"We're going to die."

She was perched elegantly on the foot of Moses bed, dignified even in imminent death. "This is where I used to look after you after you when you were…"

_Thud._

A silence.

The thudding became louder, like a sick lament on a drum.

"Do you want me to go out there and fight her?" Caine asked, knowing the answer.

"No."

"Good, because I don't think I can."

"Scared you might lose or scared you don't really want to try?" Her voice was devoid of malice or jest. Just resignation. Acceptance.

He sat down beside her. "I missed you."

Diana did not dignify that with a response. She just stared at him.

"Sam will save the day. He's the hero." He proclaimed bitterly.

"Well, _duh _Caine. We'll just die first…I hope he saves Gaia too. I don't really care about anyone else. I just hope he saves her. Somehow."

…

"Shit. I don't have any good last words. Do you?"

_Thud._

Caine shrugged. He ceased to be the cocky narcissist he used to be. The FAYZ had broke that. He had no self-indulgent speech prepared. "Sorry about the whole island thing."

"Eh. I guess that'll do." She forgot about the whole "Elegant in death" thing and curled up against Caine's chest. She placed her head on his shoulder and embraced him. Caine wrapped an arm around her defensively.

_THUD. _

"Caine?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

He clasped his palm in hers tightly. "So am I." He admitted. "I've never been more afraid in my life. I don't think there's anything I can do to protect you or myself…I'm completely defenceless." It was an eerily beautiful moment of clarity.

_**THUD.**_

Diana nestled her head deep into his chest, almost seeming to inhale Caine was everything he was; "Hey, I can't fault you for trying."

_**THUD. THUD. THUD.**_

They laid down on the bed, entwined and embracing each other tightly, chest against chest, waiting for the life they brought into the FAYZ to bring an end to theirs.

_**THUD. **_

Caine and Diana were not given graves adjacent to each other. They were far on the other side of the _Perdido Beach memorial, _Caine occupying a space in the third row. The third of too many rows.

"_Here lies David Temple, more commonly known as Caine. Never forgotten. 1994-2009."_

A shaky laugh resonated in Sam's throat. _Never forgotten. _How fitting.

They might _wish _they could forget.

Ladris, in contrast, was situated next to a bramble bush sixteen rows away from him. He had deduced that no one had an epitaph for her. Or, perhaps some people did, but it wasn't chosen to be on there because…Well, he could imagine what the people who knew her might write.

"_Diana Ladris. 1995-2009. Crushed by a house." _

"Huh." He remarked evenly.

Gaia didn't have a memorial. Though she was, much to the chagrin and undiluted horror of the Perdido beach survivors, the most memorable person the FAYZ had ever had.

Astrid cascaded into the memorial, surpassing the guards (who were there to ensure so one came to desecrate any particular graves); "Sam?"

She was adorned in a ravishing white sundress and a class ring.

Her husband's face became luminescent; "Astrid. You look beautiful."

"I'm sorry if I interrupted you, I understand if you needed more time here."

"Nah, I'm ready to go whenever you are." He smiled.

Astrid glanced at the grave next to her, her lip curling into distaste as she noticed the name. "I could think of a better way to sum her up. _Here lies Diana Ladris; Mother of a monster, girlfriend of a monster, a monster in all but name." _

Sam didn't agree with her, but he didn't defy her either. "Eh." He commented.

He tried to picture his brother's ally, but he didn't think she'd look quite so pretty after spending six years six feet under. "I just realised something."

"What?" She inquired.

"Caine, Diana and Gaia were the last family in the FAYZ. Not a nice thought."

"Hey, it's alright. We're a family now. Outside the FAYZ." Astrid kissed him. "Now let's go home."

They vacated the memorial- palm in palm- and left the FAYZ for good.

It was a happy ending with Sam and Astrid Temple.

It was a happy ending for the heroes.


End file.
